34 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



matter in native hands, as the least trouble to themselves. 

 My husband's method was very different ; better both from 

 the common-sense point of view and that of humanity. 

 When an elephant was reported ' must ' he would order him 

 to be fed well with plenty of everything that he liked best 

 to eat, such as sugary rice made up into great balls for his 

 better convenience ; fruit, and jaggheri of course, to any 

 amount — all these things doctored with calming, soporific 

 medicines and herbs. Opium, too, was to be given in 

 measured doses ; and he was to be kept in a darkened place, 

 away from exciting scenes, and to have an entire rest from 

 labour. The effects of this treatment would soon be seen, 

 and when all was over our elephant would be himself again, 

 none the worse for it ; neither was any one else, as often 

 happens in the case of the more usual brutality cure. The 

 cause of these fits of frenzy is unknown ; they are not con- 

 nected exclusively with mating seasons, and may come on 

 at any time, though at rare intervals : some elephants, 

 again, never have one at all. 



These creatures besides being clever are most delightfully 

 artful. One very bright moonlight evening whilst camping 

 on the Brahmagiris, a spur of the Western Ghats, reached 

 from The Wynad, we were sitting out in the cool after dinner 

 when one of the elephants somehow contrived to unhobble 

 himself, and walked away from his own quarters into ours. 

 We saw him go up to a sleeping native, snuff at his pillow, 

 and then, ever so gently, draw it away with his trunk, edging 

 his own foot the while under the man's head and shoulders 

 that no jerk might be felt. The pillow was a bag of rice, put 

 there for safety against pilferers ! Although tied up in a 

 knot the bag was deftly opened and its contents munched 

 up to the last grain, the thief looking watchfully round him 

 the while. We were not likely to disappoint him of his 

 cleverly won feast, as he seemed to know ; for, just letting 

 his tiny eyes rest on us unconcernedly for a second or two, 



